Charitable Lead Trust

If you are looking for a way to pass on some of your assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes, a charitable lead trust is an excellent option.

Charitable Lead Trust

Property

Lead Trust

Term of

Years

Income to HBU

Trust to Family

Flowchart: Donor funds lead trust with property. Lead trust pays income to HBU for a number of years. Donor's family receives the remainder at the end of the trust term.

Benefits of a charitable lead trust

Receive a gift or estate tax charitable income tax deduction

Pass inheritance on to family at a reduced or zero cost

Establish a vehicle from which you can make annual gifts to charity

How a charitable lead trust works

You make a contribution of your property to fund a trust that pays Houston Baptist University income for a number of years.

You receive a gift or estate tax deduction at the time of your gift.

After a period of time, your family receives the trust assets plus any additional growth in value.

Contact us

If you have any questions about charitable lead trusts, please contact us. We would be happy to assist you and answer any questions you might have and to provide you with an illustration demonstrating your specific tax benefits.

Additional Information

Zero Tax Plan - It is even possible to set up a lead trust that will allow you to transfer assets to your family with zero transfer taxes. The IRS assumes that a lead trust is only earning at the current low federal rate. If the actual investments of the trust produce a higher return than the payments made to Houston Baptist University over the term of the trust, then the full value of the trust may be transferred to family with zero gift tax.

FLP/Lead Trust Plan - To discount your gift to family even more, you may consider first transferring your real estate or other assets into a family limited partnership (FLP), which will fund your lead trust. The combination of the FLP, the lead trust and a gift exemption can permit the lead trust to pay income to us for a number of years and potentially transfer substantial assets tax-free to your family.

Increasing Payment Lead Trust - With increased volatility in the stock market, you may also want to consider creating a lead trust that makes fixed payments of increasing amounts to us over time. Because the payments to us are fixed, your family ultimately benefits from any growth in the trust. Low payouts in early years allow the trust to grow, thus allowing protection should the economy produce below-average returns in the future.

Grantor Lead Trust - A grantor lead trust permits you to transfer your cash or assets to a trust that will make gifts to charity for a number of years. At the end of the trust term, you receive the assets back from the trust.